FDA authorizes at-home COVID test by Siemens Healthineers
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday granted an emergency use authorization to an at-home COVID-19 test made by German company Siemens Healthineers.
The highly contagious Delta and Omicron coronavirus variants are causing a surge in new cases across the United States, and several retailers, including CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart are limiting the number of at-home testing kits customers can purchase. The Siemens tests are expected to become available in January, and the company said its product can be used by children 2 and up as long as an adult collects the sample.
The Department of Health and Human Services said on Wednesday the Biden administration wants to get tens of millions of new tests into the U.S. every month, with the goal of distributing them for free to U.S. households.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The John Lewis ad: touching, or just weird?Talking Point This year’s festive offering is full of 1990s nostalgia – but are hedonistic raves really the spirit of Christmas?
-
Codeword: November 15, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
-
Sudoku medium: November 15, 2025The daily medium sudoku puzzle from The Week
-
Covid-19 mRNA vaccines could help fight cancerUnder the radar They boost the immune system
-
Peanut allergies have plummeted in childrenUnder the radar Early introduction could be an effective prevention method
-
FDA OKs generic abortion pill, riling the rightSpeed Read The drug in question is a generic version of mifepristone, used to carry out two-thirds of US abortions
-
The new Stratus Covid strain – and why it’s on the riseThe Explainer ‘No evidence’ new variant is more dangerous or that vaccines won’t work against it, say UK health experts
-
RFK Jr. vaccine panel advises restricting MMRV shotSpeed Read The committee voted to restrict access to a childhood vaccine against chickenpox
-
Human evolution may be responsible for autism ratesUnder the radar Neurodiversity and a complex brain may go hand in hand
-
Scientists are speeding up evolutionUnder the radar Proteins can evolve in minutes
-
A new subtype of diabetes was found and it may require different treatmentUnder the radar It is prevalent in Black Africans and Americans
